The present invention relates generally to devices for towing a vehicle and the like, more particularly to a foldable self-storing tow bar attachable to the towed vehicle.
The prior art reveals a number of attachable towing hitches or devices which attempt to solve the inherent problems. U.S. Pat. No. 3,627,352 issued to Canole on Dec. 14, 1971, discloses one variant in the class of fold-down towing hitches. In Canole, a fold-down triangular-shaped towing bar is attached to the front bumper of the towed vehicle, allowing the bar to be moved to an upward storage position when not in use and unlatched and dropped down for attachment to a towing vehicle when being used as a tow bar. While Canole does provide a somewhat self-storing tow bar attached to the towed vehicle, it must remain attached to the front of the vehicle in plain view creating a rather unsightly appearance and further does not appear to be adaptable to modern vehicles having impact-absorbing bumpers.
Another example in the prior art is U.S. Pat. No. 3,105,706 issued to Adam on Oct. 1, 1963, for a collapsible tow hitch. The Adam tow hitch uses a single tow bar purportedly stabilized by a pair of diagonally-extending cables. While being collapsible, Adam nonetheless in its stored position provides an unsightly asymmetric tow bar located across the front of the vehicle and further is not readily adaptable for use with current energy-absorbing bumpers.
Another attempt at solving the problems is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,774,949 issued to Eger on Nov. 27, 1973. Eger discloses a collapsible tow bar assembly storable within a specially designed bumper. It should be noted that Eger contemplates attachment of its device to the rear bumper of the towing vehicle and although not disclosed, apparently, requires a further assembly to be attached to the towed vehicle. The mechanism disclosed is unduly complex, having multiple parts, some of which are detached for storage and may be misplaced, lost, or otherwise unavailable when needed. Furthermore, Eger requires a specially built or adapted bumper for its use and thus incurs further cost to its user.
In order to provide a new and useful function of a foldable towing hitch, the device should be able to be collapsed into a minimal longitudinal space for storage on the vehicle and expandable to provide sufficient length and rigidity to allow the vehicle to be readily and safely towed when necessary.
Furthermore, with the advent of the more complex energy-absorbing bumpers required on current vehicles, the towing hitch must be able to be attached to the vehicle without interfering with the function of the bumper or other parts located on the front end of the vehicle.